


Heroes of the heart

by Weekpra



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Aqua & Terra & Ventus Are Family (Kingdom Hearts), Axel & Roxas & Xion Friendship (Kingdom Hearts), Badass Aqua (Kingdom Hearts), Badass Kairi (Kingdom Hearts), Badass Lea (Kingdom Hearts), Badass Naminé (Kingdom Hearts), Character Death, Even & Ienzo Are Family (Kingdom Hearts), F/F, F/M, I Made Myself Cry, Isa is Bad at Feelings (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi & Lea Friendship (Kingdom Hearts), Keyblade Wielder Naminé (Kingdom Hearts), Lazy Demyx (Kingdom Hearts), M/M, Major Character Injury, Nonbinary Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Oblivious Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Older Sibling Lea (Kingdom Hearts), Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Other Fandoms Not Mentioned in Tags, Parental Aqua (Kingdom Hearts), Parents Aqua and Terra (Kingdom Hearts), Protective Riku (Kingdom Hearts), Rated For Violence, Riku Is Bad at Feelings (Kingdom Hearts), Roxas Is So Done (Kingdom Hearts), Sora Is a Ray of Sunshine (Kingdom Hearts), Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25498087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weekpra/pseuds/Weekpra
Summary: Sora stared out of the window in his room as he sat on his bed, leaning against wall behind it. The light of the lowering sun shining through the glass window. He stared at the island far away from the main island, the island where he, Riku, Kairi and a bunch of others had played in as children. He sighed, things would never be the same again. He shifted his gaze away from the the window to take look at his room. His old toys were in the shelves, his desk was the cleanest he had probably ever seen it, the trash can was empty, no piece of trash was to be found anywhere, no dust anywhere. It was his room, but it didn't feel like it anymore. He may have returned home after all of his adventures, but it didn't feel the same. His mother had been so happy to see him, but hugging her didn't feel the same.Nothing did.
Relationships: Aqua/Terra (Kingdom Hearts), Demyx/Ienzo (Kingdom Hearts), Isa/Lea (Kingdom Hearts), Naminé/Xion (Kingdom Hearts), Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Kudos: 34





	1. Prologue

Sora stared out of the window in his room as he sat on his bed, leaning against wall behind it. The light of the lowering sun shining through the glass window. He stared at the island far away from the main island, the island where he, Riku, Kairi and a bunch of others had played in as children. He sighed, things would never be the same again. He shifted his gaze away from the the window to take look at his room. His old toys were in the shelves, his desk was the cleanest he had probably ever seen it, the trash can was empty, no piece of trash was to be found anywhere, no dust anywhere. It was his room, but it didn't feel like it anymore. He may have returned home after all of his adventures, but it didn't feel the same. His mother had been so happy to see him, but hugging her didn't feel the same.  
Nothing did.  
Sora sighed yet again, the only thing that wasn't all neat and clean in his room was the plate of food his mother had brought for him. It was good, just as good as he remembered. But for some reason he hadn't eaten more than a few bites and then left it there on his bed, on top of the sheets that he had had as a 14-year old. How long had he been in his home? A couple of days at most, it hadn't been that long. But all that time he had thought about one thing.  
When was he going to tell his mother?  
He could feel it, he wasn't going to last. His heart wasn't going to last.  
So why was it so hard to tell her?

A single tear rolled down Sora's cheek. It felt funny, he blinked his eyes and another tear formed and rolled down after the other one. Something must have gotten into his eyes. He rubbed his eyes with his fist but the tears wouldn't stop coming. There wasn't any dust in his room, his mother had cleaned it to the point where dust was probably too scared to come. Was it allergy? It was spring after all. Sora sniffled and swallowed, it felt weird. Was he crying? It didn't feel like it. He subconsciously brought his knees closer to his chest and pressed his face against them, the fabric of his dark blue jeans brushing against his now wet cheeks.  
He heard the door open, it sounded funny. It creaked as it opened, it was slammed shut and then he heard steps. Whoever it was, they were running and coming closer to him. Soon he felt two pairs of arms wrap around him and he immediately recognized them. He was in his mother's loving embrace, it felt real. The first time anything felt real after he had set foot in his old home. He felt his arms and hands shaking as they moved over to wrap around his mother. He held onto her like his life depended on it, like he was a child again. Afraid of the dark and the monsters under his bed, inside his closet. His mother had been saying something the entire time but only now did he register any of the words coming out of her mouth. 

"Honey please, you've been acting strange and I want to help you. But I can't if I don't know what's wrong."  
He opened his mouth but only a small whimper came out. Why was it so hard to tell her? He didn't want to go without telling her. He wanted everything back to normal again. He wanted to show her mother his drawings, to get help from her in tying his shoelaces, to go biking with her again.  
He just wanted to go back in time and do it all again so bad. He wanted to scream, to cry and most of all never let go of his mother. He was so deep in the memories of his past that he didn't even register when he said it.  
"Mom, I'm dying."  
But apparently he did because he felt his mother's arms wrap tighter around him, he heard the sobs his mother let out. They were desperate, full of melancholy. He hated it when his mother cried. He wanted her to smile, her smile was pretty and it always got Sora to smile too. She was supposed to be happy not sad. Why had he made her sad? He was supposed to keep her happy not make her sad.  
Stop crying!  
I don't want you to cry!  
Please stop...

How long did they stay like that? Sora had no idea, his mother probably didn't know either. His mother slowly pulled away from the embrace and somehow Sora felt cold, he wanted to hug her again. She wasn't going to leave right? He didn't want to be alone!  
He was calmed down once he noticed his mother was still by his side, wiping away the tears from her face. She looked up and smiled at Sora, it was a smile that Sora liked. He smiled back despite the tears rolling down his face. Some ended up in his mouth, they tasted salty, but he didn't mind.  
"You always wanted to be the hero, didn't you?" She asked with her voice shaking, Sora stared at her with a comforting smile. She let out a loud sob again and wrapped her arms around him again. He felt like he was at home, he hugged her back again.  
"Mom, do you wanna make dinner together? I could invite Riku and Kairi, like when I was a kid." Sora suddenly asked, he didn't really think about it before he had said it. He just wanted for his mother to be happy again. She deserved to be happy. And that's what she was when she looked at Sora again, her eyes shining from the tears and her smile warming Sora's heart with happiness. 

"I would like that very much, Sora. My little sunshine."


	2. Dinner like the old times

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> People change. Riku didn't know how to feel about that. He certainly had changed but he didn't know if was for the better or for the worst.

The sun was starting to set which only meant that night was looming over the world of Destiny islands. Most families would've probably eaten dinner hours ago, but in Sora's home the dinner was just in the makings. In a very messy way. Sora's mothers Rose's excited screams rang through the house when her son flambéed the steak that was on the black frying pan.   
"Where did you learn how to cook like this Sora?" Rose placed a hand on top of her sons shoulder. Sora looked over at her and smiled.  
"I learned a lot of new things on my journeys." He stated when suddenly he heard two new laughs from behind him. He looked over to see none other than his two best friends, Riku and Kairi.  
"Sora you can flambé but you can't crack an egg." Kairi giggled.  
"And you can't still do anything without making a mess." Riku smirked as he walked over to the brunette and cleaned his cheek from egg white with his thumb. ¨  
"Riku, Kairi you came already!" Rose exclaimed in suprise.  
"I'm sorry miss Rose, Sora said that we could come in and we thought it would be okay-" Kairi's apology was cut short when Rose had already caught all three of them in a warm but tight embrace. All three laughed in joy, it was just like the old times. 

Rose had so many questions she wanted to ask the three so many questions, but she figured that they could wait. It would be rude to ask things about their adventure when they had just returned-  
"How about we help you with the food? We could talk about our adventures while doing so!" Kairi exclaimed while clapping her hands together. RIku seemed to like the idea since he stood up and walked to the counter where he knew the plates were. He took four of those and started placing them onto the table. That was unexpected. Rose would've thought that the three would want nothing to do with their journey anymore.  
"Wait- you two are our guests! Just sit down and we'll handle this." Rose exclaimed, she didn't want her quests to be bothered with such things as making dinner.   
"It's alright miss Rose, we would love to help." Riku stated while handing some glasses over to Kairi who then placed them on their places on top of the table. Rose sighed, she knew she wasn't going to be winning this argument.   
"Alright. But only on the condition that you stop calling me 'miss Rose'. Just Rose is fine." She smiled as the two teens nodded and started setting forks and knives. 

"So what do you want to know?" Was the question Sora asked as he handed the pan with the steak to Riku who then put it on it's place. Rose didn't know anything the three had faced on their journey so the three just decided to share random stuff from their own perspectives.  
"I wanna go first!" Kairi exclaimed while handing potatoes to Rose who started making smashed potatoes out of them.   
"One of my favorite memories from this year is the training I did with Lea."  
"Who's Lea?" Rose asked before realizing how stupid the question was, of course they'd gained new friends on their journey.   
"Axel is our friend! After being re-completed he gained a keybade and started helping us!" Sora shouted, forgetting yet again that Axel wasn't Axel anymore. He was Lea now.  
"Axel?" Now Rose was just confused. Didn't Kairi call him Lea just a few seconds ago? And re-completed? What did Sora mean by that?  
"I guess we have a lot of explaining do." Riku smirked. Suddenly Sora gasped and he turned to his mom.   
"How about we go to Radiant garden to meet Axel? You could meet Xion and my nobody Roxas too!"   
"Your what?"  
"Yeah, we should definitely do that." Kairi laughed and being joined by both RIku and Sora. And soon enough by Rose too. 

Once the food was ready they all went to sit around the table and Rose heard so many stories about their adventure. About how Kairi was a princess of heart, Sora once had the hearts of three people inside of him, how Riku had been possessed by someone named Ansem the seeker of darkness. How Sora and Riku had faced Organization XIII in a place called 'Castle oblivion' and he had been out to sleep for a year. How after that year they had faced the rest of so called Organization XIII and defeated their leader Xemnas. It had gotten so late when telling the stories that they didn't even notice when the clock had already went past 11pm. Sora only noticed it because he happened to look at the wall.   
"How about we continue tomorrow on our trip to Radiant garden?" He asked and being agreed by everyone but his mother.   
"I don't know Sora. Are you sure it'll be safe?" She asked and Sora placed a gentle hand on her shoulder.  
"I'm sure." He nodded. 

The sun had set. It was no where to be seen when Riku and Kairi were walking back to their homes. The moon, the stars and the streetlamps were the only source of light now.   
"It was nice returning there, seeing Sora's mom again and spending the day like we used to as kids." Kairi stated softly as they walked through the quiet streets.   
"Yeah, nostalgia hit hard seeing how their house hadn't changed at all. My mom had renovated the whole house except my room." Riku answered. They walked for a long time in a comfortable silence when suddenly something appeared in front of them. They both summoned their keyblades, Braveheart and Destiny's embrace.   
"I thought these things were done for good!" Kairi shouted as she ran towards the shadow heartless and slashed through them effortlessly.  
"As long as there's darkness inside a single heart these things will keep coming." Riku answered while casting a dark firaga spell at the heartless Kairi hadn't taken care of.  
"Well at least these guys aren't hard to beat." Kairi smirked and put her keyblade on her shoulder. RIku smirked back, she really had gotten stronger.  
"My stop is here. Be careful Riku." Kairi hugged the boy and ran home. Riku waved a goodbye to her and started walking to his own house. 

Riku walked on the streets of his home world. He was looking down at his shoes and taking in every little detail on the path he was walking on. Every little crack and little pebble that were littered all around the path made of stone. The light of the streetlamps shined on the metallic ends of his shoelaces. HE chuckled at the memory of the evening they had just spent, Sora's mom hadn't changed one bit. His smile turned into a frown really quickly once he remembered how his own mother had barely recognized him. Though he couldn't really blame her, he doubted he would recognize himself if his 15-year old self would get to look in the future now and see what he would become.   
People change. Riku didn't know how to feel about that. He certainly had changed but he didn't know if was for the better or for the worst.


	3. Chapter 3

Xion and Roxas ran inside a house located in Radiant garden. The house was almost exactly identical to all the other houses next to it. The two children slammed the door open and could immediately hear a loud thud. They rushed inside to find Lea at the bottom of the stairs with a hand on his head. "Ow." He said with a chuckle. Isa arrived shortly after with a black apron on. "I'm assuming you fell down the stairs." He said with a slight smirk while trying to hold on in a chuckle. "Someone needs to learn how to open doors like a normal human being." Lea smirked at the two kids who had been apologixing the whole time. Isa helped Lea up and took the apron off. He tossed it to the couch behind him and turned to the two kids in front of him. "What is it that you're so excited about?" He asked. "Sora, Riku and Kairi are coming to visit!" Xion exclaimed with a bright smile. Lea's eyes widenned before he as well smiled. "Well that is good news." Isa walked into the kitchen and took two plates from one of the counters. They were quickly filled with eggs, toast and a glass of juice. He came back with them and handed them to the kids. They didn't waste any time and rushed to the table and started eating their breakfast with the speed of a hungry lion. "Woah did Ienzo even feed you two?" Lea chuckled and went to take his own plate. He sat down with Isa and started eating as well. With a slower more human like speed. "He worked all night and fell asleep at six in the morning. We didn't wanna wake him up so we just left. And before you ask- yes the checkup went well." Roxas said once he finally had swallowed everything down. "Does he even know the word rest." Isa sighed and set his fork down onto the table.

"He's paranoid and can't sleep at night. Considering you two did quite a number on him back when he was Zexion." Xion answered. The two men looked weirded out and she clarified by putting her hands around her throat and Roxas joined in by doing a cutting motion across his neck. The two adults finally caught on and Lea slapped his forehead. "Oh what a way to guilt trip me kids. Wanna know how many times I've apologized to him and Even? I don't 'cause I can't count that far!" Lea exclaimed and put his hands against his face while leaning against the table with his elbows. "I counted. 198 times exactly. Even though Ienzo forgave you at the second one and Even at the fourteenth." Isa answered. "Oh yeah and how many times have YOU apologized?" Lea grumbled from behind his hands.

"...We're not going into that Lea."

"You bet we are."

"You're sleeping on the couch."

Roxas and Xion started laughing at Lea's insulted expression. "Lea knows he can't win when Isa pulls the couch card." Roxas laughed and Isa joined in with a proud chuckle. "I am seriously getting betrayed by my entire family today." Lea rolled his eyes with smirk before joining their laughter as well. Roxas and Xion emptied their plates rather quickly and took them to the kitchen. Lea followed soon after but instead of going into a pile onto the couch he walked up to the front door and opened it. "Where are you going?" Roxas asked but Lea had already shut the door. Roxas rolled his eyes and turned to Isa. Expecting an answer. "Don't look at me. I have no idea." He said while standing up and going to wash the dishes. Roxas took one step toward the door. "You're not thinking about following him right?" Isa called out from the kitchen and Roxas' plans fell flat. He joined Xion onto the couch and went to check his phone. "Sora just texted me. Said they're coming now." He yelled. Isa nodded while Xion smiled excitedly.

"Ienzo!" Even called out as he saw the said boy sleeping on his chair beside the desk at the lab. He cursed under his breath ad he walked up to him. "When will you learn how to take care of yourself properly." He said. He noticed a small paper on the counter and he took it into his hand. Turns out it was a note from Roxas and Xion.

_"Hey Ienzo!_

_Sorry we left without saying a word but you fell asleep while working again and we didn't wanna wake you up. Roxas got a message from Sora saying that he, Riku and Kairi are coming to visit with Sora's mom so we went back home to tell ~~dads~~ Lea and Isa._   
_-Xion and Roxas_

_PS. We put a blanket on you so you wouldn't get cold ^w^"_

Even smiled at the note and put it back onto the table. That explained the blanket that indeed was on top of Ienzo as he slept quietly. "They're good kids." Even smiled. He gambled in his mind on if he should wake Ienzo up or not. He ended up on the first choice. "Ienzo, boy. Wake up. You'll get back pains if you continue to sleep in your chair." Even said while putting a hand gently on Ienzo's back. He mumbled something before slowly opening his eyes and looking over to his father figure. "Did I fall asleep again? Where are Xion and Roxas?" Ienzo asked quietly with a voice that screamed tiredness. Even handed him the note and he read it. A smile formed on his face as he put it back down. He stood up from the chair but Even had to catch him in his arms immediately as the boys legs gave out under him. "Ienzo!" Even exclaimed in worry before hearing the boy in his arms start to laugh. He let go once he realized that Ienzo had just been playing with him. Ienzo did a dramatic death pose before laughing even more. "Hahaa. Very funny Ienzo." Even said with a roll of his eyes. He chuckled a bit until Ienzo let out a sharp gasp and grabbed his head. Still on the ground. Even crossed his arms and looked down. "I'm not falling for that trick again Ienzo." He said but the boy didn't laugh this time. Instead he let out another sharp gasp of... pain? Even sat down and grabbed the boys hands into his own.

"Are you hurt?" Even ask as worry finally started to take over his features. He jumped with suprise as Ienzo not only gasped in pain but also full on screamed and grabbed his head with both of his hands. Harshly pulling them out of Even's hands. Even could feel a small heachache starting to come but he ignored that.  
But then it stopped. Both Ienzo's gasps of pain and the small ache in Even's head.  
Ienzo let go and eased off. His sharp breaths returned to normal and he removed his hands from his head and he sat up. Even grabbed his shoulders almost immediately. "What was that?!" He shouted. Ienzo looked just as weirded out as Even was as he stood up from the ground. "I-I don't know." Ienzo stuttered while Even looked at him in worry. It only took a few more seconds for Ienzo to fix his expression back into a smile. "Probably something small. Maybe a headache from sleeping so little?" He suggested. Even wasn't entirely convinced but decided that it would be a matter for another time. He sighed knowing that this was an argument he wasn't going to win. "Alright. But you should go to your room and sleep. On your bed, not on your desk or chair." Even stated. "But I alreadys slept?" The younger of the two complained. "For what? Four hours? You need more than that to stay healthy, Ienzo." Even answered while Ienzo rolled his eyes. Knowing that the blonde slept even less than he did. He handed the notes he had made about the tests on the two kids and then left the room. "Where are you going?" Even asked. But got no reply. He sighed in annoyance and returned back to the notes in his hand.

Rosa exited the gummiship with the help of his son, Sora. She gaped at her surroundings in amazement. Everything looked so- new and pretty. Unlike anything she had ever seen. Sora, Riku and Kairi all went to stand next to her while smiling. "Apparently this place used to be even prettier. Can you remember, Kairi?" Sora asked the girl who shook her head. "Maybe we could ask Ienzo or Lea? They grew up in here as well you know?" Kairi replied and the brunette nodded happily at the idea. Rosa looked over to the three teens. "How many people are in here that you know?" She asked and Sora started counting with his fingers. "Dilan, Even, Aeleus, Ienzo, Ansem the wise, Axel, Isa, Roxas, Xion, Naminé, Merlin, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, Tiffa and Cid." He counted. His mom just stared at him. "That's a lot of people to meet."  
"Yeah. But I'm only close with Ienzo, Axel, Roxas, Xion, Naminé, Merlin, Leon, Yuffie, Aerith, Cloud, Tiffa and Cid.  
"What do you mean 'Only'?"  
The teens started laughing and after a while Rosa joined in after a while.

"Kairi! Think fast!" Someone suddenly called out and a large weapon appeared in Kairi's hand as she blocked a small fireball with it. The weapon dissapeared just as fast as it had arrived and Kairi started running with a happy and bright smile on her face. "Lea!" She shouted and threw herself at a tall and lanky man with red hair. They both started laughing as the man identified as Lea put the girl down. "You thought fast." Lea smirked. He looked over to the three others and waved slightly. "So you're...?" Rosa felt stupid for asking since the three kids had told her all about their new friends. The man walked closer and extended his hand. Rosa grabbed and shook it while returning the red heads smile. "Name's Lea. Got it memorized? Your son hasn't" He said while pointing at the side of his head with his finger. Kairi giggled a little at the man who laughed back. "Yo, Sora." He suddenly called out and the brunette turned to him in confusion. "Two things." Lea started and held up two of his fingers. "One, Roxas and Xion are waiting for you. I can take you to them if you want. And two, Ienzo has something for you so you have to visit the castle at some point." Lea listed off to him.

"Ienzo?" Riku asked in confusion but Lea just shrugged. "I dunno what he wants. But it's Ienzo so it's most likely important." He replied and then turned around while gesturing for the others to follow. "We probably should get to Roxas and Xion first though before they rip me apart." Lea opened the door that led into a house that was identical to the others around it. It was slightly larger though. He didn't even have to say anything and two kids had already rushed to the door. Lea whispered a quiet 'good luck' and then dissapeared into the living room. Most likely to find Isa. Sora, Roxas, Kairi and Xion shared a group hug while Riku just smiled along with Rosa. "So you're staying with Axel and Isa?" Sora asked after the hug ended. Rosa suddenly let out a long and deep sigh before massaging the sides of her head. "Is his name Lea or Axel?" She asked with annoyance and immediately after that a loud scream of laughter was heard from the living room which was joined by a slightly quieter laughter. Roxas and Xion joined in as well and soon everyone was laughing. More or less. "It's Lea. But Sora's just bad with names." Xion answered. "Though I'm beginning to think if it's just with Lea since he uses the right name on everyone else." Roxas added with a smirk. Sora gave a childish pout before laughing a bit. "Oh give me a break." He chuckled and then turned to the blonde and raven haired teens. "Ienzo apparently wants to see me for something. Wanna come with?" He asked and the two nodded. It only took a moment for the entire house to be empty aside from Lea and Isa.


	4. Problems

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "It is a good thing that the world is starting to return back to normal and people are getting their homes back. It is a lot more comfortable too. But the other day we were contacted by leaders of other worlds that know about the existence of multiple worlds." Ienzo finally started to explain the problem. "They were starting to question if master Ansem is the best choice to be the leader of this world. Even if the experiments that lead into this worlds doom were all Xehanorts idea."

Ienzo heard the huge doors of the castle open and he expected his guests to have arrived. He exited his room and walked down the stairs from the top floor to the floor on the very bottom of the castle. He quickly spotted Sora, Riku, Kairi, Xion, Roxas and a woman he guessed was Sora's mother being escorted by Aeleus and Dilan. "Ienzo!" Xion exclaimed and waved her hand into the air once she noticed the boy in the hallway. Ienzo gave a small wave in return and smiled. Rose whispered something in Sora's ear and the boy smiled with a chuckle. He turned to Ienzo and gestured for him to join the group. "Mom, this is Ienzo. A scientist here in Radiant garden." Sora said. "And my best friend!" Kairi exclaimed and Ienzo chuckled a little. "I thought we were your bestfriends." Sora replied with a fake offended expression. Kairi smiled. "You two plus Lea and Ienzo. Don't get all worked up over that." She chuckled along with the teenager scientist. Ienzo then turned to Rose and gave a small bow by lowering his upper half a little. "It is a pleasure to meet you." He said and scretched his arm forward. Rose shook it and smiled before letting go. "Likewise." 

"Why did you need us here anyway?" Riku asked him. "Multiple reasons actually. Come with me and I'll tell you." Ienzo said and waved his hand in the air. Gesturing for everyone to follow him. Aeleus and Dilan returned to their positions in guarding the door. "There's a lot of stuff I need to tell you... I do not know what I should start with." He started. "What about the easiest thing to say?" Kairi suggested. And that's exactly the thing Ienzo went with. "First of all. Radiant garden is finally starting to reach its past glory and people from multiple worlds are starting to move here. Or people who had to escape into others worlds when this one fell apart are starting to return." The slate haired boy started. "That's a good thing, right?" Roxas stated. "It is a good thing. But also a bad thing." Ienzo answered. "What do you mean?" Sora questioned this time. 

"It is a good thing that the world is starting to return back to normal and people are getting their homes back. It is a lot more comfortable too. But the other day we were contacted by leaders of other worlds that know about the existence of multiple worlds." Ienzo finally started to explain the problem. "They were starting to question if master Ansem is the best choice to be the leader of this world. Even if the experiments that lead into this worlds doom were all Xehanorts idea." Ienzo explained. "But it wasn't his fault at all!" Kairi yelled in an offended manner. "Are you going to have to leave this world?" Xion asked in a worried manner. "No. Fortunately we do not have to leave this world. Apparently they would be satisfied if a new leader was chosen. And they actually chose one already considering we don't really have that much of a choice in this matter already." Ienzo explained and then sighed heavily by the end of it. "So they're just gonna kick Ansem out and choose some random guy to be the new ruler? That's not right!" Sora exclaimed. "No they're not gonna choose a random ruler." Ienzo quickly added when all the teens following him started to look angry. Including the mother following them even if she didn't exactly understand all the stuff that was being sayed. "Well then. Who's gonna be the new ruler?" Riku asked. "What even is the ruler called in this world?" He added. 

"They said that master Ansem had the title of a king. Meaning that he was 'King Ansem of Radiant Garden'." Ienzo stated and chuckled at the name. Being joined in by everyone else. "But they said that maybe it was time for him to step down and have his _successor_ fill the role." Ienzo stated. "Of course. They had already chosen the most logical person to be his successor." Ienzo gave one last sigh and hoped the others would catch on. Only one person seemed to. Kairi. "Wait- but if Ansem is a king and _you're_ his adoptive son. Then doesn't that make you a prince?" She said and then gasped and smiled brightly. "Oh my god it DOES. Welcome to the royal club!" She exclaimed and threw her hand over the taller teens shoulder. "But that also means that-" Riku started and the remaining teens all gasped at once. "Are you going to be the king!?" Sora shouted. Ienzo sighed and replied with a nod.

"You don't seem too happy about that." Xion stated after the excitement had calmed down a bit. Ienzo gave yet another sigh. "I do understand that it is a great honor but- I just don't know if I am the person to do this kind of stuff. I've got my own problems to take care of and now I'd have to take care of an entire kingdom? Not to even mention the whole _world_ of Radiant garden." Ienzo explained and rubbed his elbow from where Kairi had landed on with full force. "Aren't you too young to be a king anyway? You're like... twenty or something." Roxas stated. Ienzo cleared his throat. "I'm seventeen." 

What followed next was quiet. No one said anything. Until Ienzo started laughing and Kairi joined in with him. Everyone else joined eventually either by laughing or just chuckling a little. "Well at least you're not so worried anymore." Roxas said after their laughing fit had ended. "But if you don't want to be the new ruler couldn't you just tell them?" Rose said. "Unfortunately I cannot. It wouldn't fix the problem of how they want master Ansem out of the picture. And if I refuse the job given to me then it will indeed go to some random guy they decide. And that isn't exactly the kind of stuff I want happening in here." Ienzo explained. He sighed one last time and opened the door to the lab that they had reached while walking. "But enough about that subject. The coronation stuff is in two weeks so I have enough time to think before that. Now onto the next subject that I called you here for." He stated. Everyone entered the lab and Ienzo went over to the computer. 

"Something is vert wrong in one of the programms inside of this computer. One Sora is familiar with." Ienzo stated while starting the computer. "It is the programm Tron originated from." He added and Sora's eyes lit up in excitement. "Tron!" He shouted and ran over to the computer. Kairi managed to grab his arm and pull him back to avoid him from making any damage. "Yes. I am aware that you are familiar with the programm. But recently weird thngs have started happening inside of the programm. And I have also lost access to it meaning I cannot fix the problem." Ienzo explained. Riku stepped forward and looked at the many red error messages that were littered across the screen. "What kind of problems? It certainly doesn't look good." He stated. "For example. The programm has been collecting all kinds of information about the people living in here. More specifically about the ex members of Organization XIII." Everyone's eyes except Rose's went from Ienzo to Roxas to Xion and then back to Ienzo. "Why?" Kairi asked and the older boy shrugged. "I am not sure since the programm won't let me in through the computer to shut the virus down." 

"Have you to try to shut it down manually? Going inside the programm like Sora, Donald and Goofy have done?" Roxas asked. Having some shady memories of such events happening. Ienzo nodded. "That was when I realized the problem was a lot more serious than I had previously thought." Everyone looked weirded out and lost so Ienzo decided to clarify a little. "When I entered the programm the first few areas were empty. There was no one around. But the immediate moment I got too close to the core where I could've deleted the virus and fixed the problem- I was surrounded by... _something_. I don't know what they were but they were definitely not Heartless or Nobodies. They were strong, fast and had all sorts of different powers and abilities. And there were _many_ of them. I think it would be safe to say that I barely made it out of there." Ienzo explained while once again trying to delete the virus through the computer and once again failing. Kairi wanted to ask if he was alright but Ienzo continued before she could. 

"The virus has also taken control over our safety systems. But that is the least of our worries since the restoration commitee decided to shut them down for upgrading anyway. But it has collected every bit of information about the ex organization members that ahs been stored inside this computer. And that is a lot of information so whoever has the information now knows almost everything about us. Which is definitely not a good thing." Ienzo finished and the others finally started to see the problem. If this person who ahd planted the virus inside of the programm knew everything about the ex organization XIII members and they decided to attack it would not end well. 

"And now to the last thing that I have to tell you. Have any of you been experiencing intense headaches lately?" He asked and everyone but Roxas and Kairi looked weirded out. The three nodded. "As I thought. It only affects those with an element." Ienzo muttered. "What do you mean?" Roxas asked and Ienzo turned around and started explaining. "It started with Lea. He came to me and complaine about intense headaches. Next he came in and said that Isa had also gotten them. Then Aeleus, Dilan and Even started getting them. Today I got one and if both of you have gotten them then can you make the connection?" 

Riku was the first to get it. 

"Whatever it is... it only seems to be affecting those that have some sort of elemental power of sorts. For both Kairi and Roxas it's light. With Lea, fire. Isa, moon. Aeleus, rock. Dilan, wind. Even, ice and you with illusions." Riku listed off and received a nod from Ienzo. "Unfortunately I do not yet know what is causing these headaches... but it cannot be good." Ienzo said. Everyone sighed an fell quiet. But the silence was soon broken by loud sirens going on through the castle and more error messages appearing onto the screen of the computer behind Ienzo. "What is that?!" Xion shouted and noticed how Ienzo had already rushed to the door. The boy turned around quickly and gave them the answer that got them all moving as well. 

"Something has invaded Radiant garden." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About time I updated this...


	5. Energy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Ienzo! Where do you think you're going?" Ansem the wise shouted. Ienzo turned around. "We need to get everyone to safety and then deal with all the heartless and nobodies." Ienzo explained calmly. He noticed Even behind Ansem. "Ienzo. We can't let anything happen to you. Ansem is going to be stepping down soon and you're going to step up onto the throne." Even said and stepped forward as well. "Well what is there left to rule if the world falls into darkness all again?" Ienzo exclaimed and pulled his hand away from Ansems grip and ran off. Even tried to ran after him but Ansem stoped him by grabbing his shoulder. "Don't. He has made his choice. Let's just hope that the choice was a right one."

"What? Something has what?" Rose asked with slight panic in her voice as she watched Ienzo wuickly unbutton his science coat and throw it off into a corner. Underneath he had a black vest with a white shirt under it. He turned to adress Xion and Roxas. "You know what to do." He stated and the two nodded and ran off. Ienzo gestured for Sora, Riku and Kairi to follow him. But before they did Sora turned to his mom. "Stay here. It's safe, I'll be back before you know it." Sora said with a smile. His mom was about to open her mouth to protest but Sora rushed in to hug her before he could. When he pulled away he flashed a bright smile before running to follow Ienzo, Kairi and Riku. Rose was left alone to stand in the empty lab. 

The group consisting of three keyblade wielders and a wizard ran outside where Heartless and Nobodies were indeed all around. As if the world was falling into darkness once again. The only thing different was that all the heartless had red eyes and the nobodies were all surrounded by black smoke. Ienzo stared at the scenery wide eyed for a few seconds before he turned around to adress the group behind him. "I told Xion and Roxas to go and get Lea and Isa. We have dealed with these before." He stated and Kairi stepped forward. "We'll help!" She exclaimed but Ienzo shook his head. "You need to get everyone to safety. The castle is a safe zone because of the spell put around it. If you can get everyone up the stairs the spell should protect them from all creatures of darkness." Ienzo explained. "Understood." Riku nodded and the three ran off to find everyone while Ienzo ran to find the four that were supposed to help him deal with the invaders. But before he could someone grabbed his arm. 

"Ienzo! Where do you think you're going?" Ansem the wise shouted. Ienzo turned around. "We need to get everyone to safety and then deal with all the heartless and nobodies." Ienzo explained calmly. He noticed Even behind Ansem. "Ienzo. We can't let anything happen to you. Ansem is going to be stepping down soon and you're going to step up onto the throne." Even said and stepped forward as well. "Well what is there left to rule if the world falls into darkness all again?" Ienzo exclaimed and pulled his hand away from Ansems grip and ran off. Even tried to ran after him but Ansem stoped him by grabbing his shoulder. "Don't. He has made his choice. Let's just hope that the choice was a right one." 

"Lea! Isa!" Roxas shouted as he almost kicked the door to their house down. Isa stood up from the couch in a hurry and turned around. His face was full of worry. "What?" He asked and walked to the two kids at the door. "Heartless! Nobodies! Ienzo needs our help taking them down!" Roxas exclaimed. Xion looked around and then looked at Isa. "Where's Lea?" She asked and Isa's eyes widenned. "Oh shit." He said under his breath and ran out the door. Lea followed soon after after he had ran down the stairs. And soon they saw it. They all stopped to look at the sky.   
In distance there was a huge explosion of fire that died out in the next following minute. "What- was that?" Xion asked. Roxas and Isa were just as confused but Lea knew exactly waht it had been. "We need to get there. Now." 

Ienzo destroyed one heartless and nobody after another with the spells coming from his book. He wished he had accepted the help Kairi had offered him because he was starting to get tired. He dodged, blocked and then attacked again and again without a single break in between. He gasped as a claw got caught in his side and small drops of blood dripped down from it. He couldn't waste energy on healing it though so he just ignored it and blasted a fireball at the heartless that was trying to attack him again. "I'm starting to be glad that Lea taught me all those fire spells." Ienzo thought as he sighed in relief when a particulary large and powerful firaga he had cast destroyed all of the heartless that had been a little too close for comfort. But he couldn't stop there. The red eyed heartless and the nobodies surrounded by the black smoke weren't exactly stopping. When he destroyed one it felt like two more took its place. But he held his ground. Only problem was that every wound on his body was starting to ache even more than they already were. And the tiredness he was feeling didn't help at all. 

"I really hope Xion and Roxas will arrive with backup soon." The prince thought. He dodged an attack and then blasted a blizzara at the nobody. "I need a way to destroy multiple of them without getting hurt myself." Ienzo tried to come up with a plan- because running into a large group of heartless and then casting firaga around him wasn't exactly the smartest plan. He looked at his lexicon and sighed. And then smirked. He casted a quick firaga to make sure that there were no heartless or nobodies way too close and then he started to concentrate some of his energy into the book in his hand. Thanks to all the practice he had done it only took a few seconds and when he was done he quickly tapped a page in his book. And just when a Heartless was about to touch him- multiple copies of himself appeared all around him- confusing the heartless and nododies around him. Ienzo took a few seconds to calm down and then he put the last part of his plan into action. 

Ienzo ran between all of the heartless and nobodies- being careful not to be noticed by them that were confused about the copies he had created of himself. He opened his book from the middle and pressed the pages against the backs of the creatures that weren't looking- trapping them inside of the books pages. After every page had been filled Ienzo went into the middle of the huge group of copies and spun around once with the book open in one hand. Every page of the book flew out of it's place and into the air. But before all of the creatures trapped inside could break free Ienzo prepared one last fire spell- and casted it around himself, at the pages. A spell even more powerful than firaza. 

A huge explosion of different colors followed. Red, orange and yellow all danced around in the area. It could be called beautiful if you looked at how every color mixed together and created a beautiful combination of warm colors that danced around eachother and the white pages in the air. The edges of the pages had a yellow tint to them that then slowly dissappeared into black as the pages burned and turned into ash that fell onto the ground into piles of destruction. The flames in the air started to die out and get smaller as the seconds passed and soon what had been a huge explosion of different warm colours and burning temperature was now just small particles in the air. 

Ienzo was left to stand in the middle from where the fire had exploded from. He had managed to get over a half of the heartless in the explosion but some still remained. His clones all dissapeared one by one as the last bits of his energy poured out of him in one small moment. He managed to stay up and standing still but he couldn't even get his now regenerated book to appear. He looked up and saw as all of the remaining heartless and nobodies slowly broke out of their confusion and looked behind them- immediately noticing their prey who was noticeably weaker now. Ienzo could barely stay standing anymore as he watched all of the creatures rush at him in the same exact moment. He closed his eyes and felt his legs give out under him. He dropped onto his knees and a claw immediatel caught his side and ripped through the flesh there. Blood dropped down from it and Ienzo tried to use tha last of his energy to crawl away from the monsters. Luckily he didn't have to because to keyblades made the job a lot easier for him. 

"We saw the explosion! That was so cool!" Xion exclaimed as she destroyed a heartless coming her way. "Yeah! I didn't now you were cabable of that!" Roxas exclaimed with a similar kind of excitement in his voice that Xion had displayed in her own. They soon noticed how hard it was to destroy a single heartless or a nobody and they started to put more strenght behind their attacks and only use stronger spells. "Wow- these guys are really strong!" Xion shouted. Meanwhile Lea and Isa had luckily made it to Ienzo who had recovered some of his strenght and was now trying to heal the gaping wound in his side. Lea grimaced when he saw the wound that was going across Ienzo's side and dripping blood and a dark substance that could only be liquified darkness. "Didn't I tell you to only use that spell when you were sure it would wipe out ALL the heartless or nobodies or whatever is surrounding you at the moment?" Lea said as he helped Ienzo up by putting one of the shorter males arms around his shoulder and letting Ienzo lean on him for support. 

"S-Sorry..." Ienzo chuckled quietly. He tried his best to not lean onto the red head because of the embarassement it would cause him. But soon enough his tiredness got the better of him and he pressed his body against the taller male while still having his free arm against the wound in his side. "Sorry you have to do this." Ienzo said- his voice barely above a whisper. Lea smirked. "Since when did you apologize to me?" He asked and got a small laugh out of the teen. Isa pulled out a potion from his pocket and handed it to Ienzo. "Here. It's not much but it'll keep you on your feet." He stated and then joined the fight with the two kids. Ienzo drank the potion. That combined with healing he was already doing to the wound on his side was enough to close the wound and ease off the pain. Lea helped the teen to a large rock and put him to sit against it. "You did your part. Let us handle this now." Lea said and was about to run off when Ienzo grabbed his arm. "Wait- you need to take them all out in one attack or they will just keep appearing out of the darkness left behind from their deaths." Ienzo stated and then let go of the arm he was holding. Lea nodded and joined the fight. 

"Everyone get behind me!" He shouted and the three on the battle field nodded before running behind him. Lea quickly noticed that Roxas was holding his arm and that Xion's head was bleeding a little. Isa- who had just joined the fight was unharmed though. Lea could still feel something that represented rage start to form in his mind. The heartless and nobody tried to follow Lea's family to where they were standing but they all came to a sudden stop when Lea snapped his fingers. And soon they all exploded from the inside from fire and disingrated into nothing. And nothing appeared from them either. Lea smirked a little and the two kids behind him stared in amazement. "Why have we not seen you two do anything like that!?" Xion exclaimed. From the corner of her eye she saw a flash of blue hair rush from behind her and she followed it with her gaze. Isa caught Lea just before the mans legs gave out. Xion and Roxas rushed forward in worry. Lea shot his hand forward and smiled. "Because that amount of magic requires so much energy." He said and nodded to Isa who let go of the redhead. 

"We should probably go find the others now." Ienzo- who had just walked to them- said.


	6. Anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Wasn't this world supposed to be 'safe' now? How can we trust a future king who's just a child making empty promises and untrustworthy orders?" She mumbled, but still loud enough so that the three friends could hear- which is obviously what she had wanted. 
> 
> Kairi felt her blood boil at the way the woman was talking about her friend, if it wouldn't bring her and Ienzo trouble she would've already hit the woman so hard in the face she that she would've flew back a few meters. Sora and Riku most likely realized this because both of them stepped forward. "Listen, if you think you could lead a kingdom better than Ienzo then go on and try. He's seventeen and has accomplished more in his life than you have for what seems to be 40 years."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> About time I updated this

Kairi ran along with two chilren, holding their hands in her own in a reassuring grip. She spared one look behind her and immediately felt her heart break at the sight of the fer in the eyes of the kids. "Don't worry. The situation is under control, we're only taking you to a safe zone just in case a few Heartless manage to sneak past the defenses. But that's unlikely." Kairi said with a bright smile. The two kids behind her look up at her with small hope shining in their eyes. The older of the children, a girl, opened her mouth to speak- "Really?" She asked. Kairi nodded before looking in front of her again. She saw how Sora was talking reassuringly to a woman and how Riku was helping an old lady get to safe zone. Kairi ran to them and the woman turned to her with tears in her eyes. 

"Maka! Jean!" She shouted, the two kids let go of Kairi and ran to the woman- most likely their mother. She turned to Kairi. "Thank you." She said under her breath, Kairi smiled at her before turning to Sora. "Once Riku returns that should be everyone. Then we just need to wait for Ienzo and the others to return." Kairi stated and the brunette nodded. "Good." Sora replied and then looked behind him just as Riku entered the safe zone with a grandma he had been helping. The old lady thank Riku before going to her family, Riku smiled before walking over to his two friends. "Did you see that explosion of magic?" He asked while taking a quick glance behind him, once he looked back he saw his two friends both nodding. "Who do you think it was?" Sora asked as he looked over to the direction the explosion had came from. "Ienzo for sure." Riku answered, no one questioned him on that. Ienzo and Riku had fought before after all, if Riku said it was Ienzo, then it was Ienzo. 

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Kairi asked with slight worry. Sora put a hand on her shoulder and flashed a wide toothy grin. "Oh for sure. All of them are really strong!" He shouted happily. "Hello miss, can we help you?" Riku suddenly said, his two friends turned around to see a woman who looked angry. "Actually you can, tell me where Ienzo is." She said- her tone of voice instantly letting the three know that this was going to be a long conversation. "He's fighting the heartless right now but he should be back soon, was there something you wanted to ask him?" Kairi stated before smiling, or at least trying. The woman let out a 'tch' sound and threw her head to the side a little. "Wasn't this world supposed to be 'safe' now? How can we trust a future king who's just a child making empty promises and untrustworthy orders?" She mumbled, but still loud enough so that the three friends could hear- which is obviously what she had wanted. 

Kairi felt her blood boil at the way the woman was talking about her friend, if it wouldn't bring her and Ienzo trouble she would've already hit the woman so hard in the face she that she would've flew back a few meters. Sora and Riku most likely realized this because both of them stepped forward. "Listen, if you think you could lead a kingdom better than Ienzo then go on and try. He's seventeen and has accomplished more in his life than you have for what seems to be 40 years." Riku stated. The woman let out an overly dramatic offended gasp and put her hand to her chest. "How dare you?" She asked and stepped forward with his arm slightly raised, Riku stood his ground and closed his eyes- expecting a slap but instead he just heard an even more offended gasp. The teen opened his eyes and looked up- smiling when he saw the familiar red spikes of hair that belonged to Lea. 

"Do NOT touch me you freak!" The woman shouted and pulled her hand away from Lea's grip. "Yeah... I think I have a right to stop you from hitting a kid- sorry Riku- like a normal person would do." Lea scratched the back of his neck and shrugged, his tone and body language screaming sarcasm, Riku couldn't help but chuckle at the taller male. Kairi and Sora both walked up to Riku. They whispered a quiet 'You okay?' and when Riku nodded they smiled and joined him on enjoying the show of- "Part 200 of Lea giving sass to a stranger", because they knew this was going to be worth watching. Apparently others thought so too because some others had noticed what was happening and were now staring at them- most were looking at the woman with disgust in their eyes. Kairi was glad to see that so many were on Ienzo's side, it would definitely ease off his nerves when he heard about it. But Kairi knew Ienzo, and she knew that if he encountered even a single person like this woman he would get even more stressed than he already was. Kairi couldn't let that happen, but now she decided to just enjoy the show in front of her. 

"How dare you touch me without my permission!?" The woman shouted, her face going red- almost as red as the males hair that was in front of her. Lea the fingers of his right hand against his forehead while his left hand went to his hips. "Put you can just go around hitting people-" Lea waved his right hand in the air. "-Honestly woman what is wrong with you?" He asked while looking at the woman with questioning eyes. She turned even more red. "No- what is wrong with _you_ for placing your trust in a _child_!?" She screamed but soon fell quiet when a cough echoed through the place. You could practically see the color drain from the womans face when she saw Ienzo staring into her brown eyes with his blue ones. "Do you have an issue with me? If so then please come to _me_ -" Ienzo gestured to himself by placing the palm of his hand against his chest. "-And don't bother _them_ with your problem." He gestured to Sora, Riku, Kairi and Lea. "Doesn't that sound logical to you? Coming to the person the issue is about and not screaming about it to people not involved in it?" He asked with a tone that sounded like hew as talking to a five year old child. 

"Yes yes... Of course! To be honest I didn't really have any issues after all! H-Have a nice day!" She stuttered before rushing off. Ienzo stared a bit longer into the direction the woman ahd went before turning to the others. "Am I scary?" Ienzo asked before chuckling, Sora, Riku, Kairi and Lea all joined in and were soon joined in by Roxas, Xion and Isa who had all came with Ienzo. "I couldn't imagine a day when Ienzo could be scary." Kairi stated and smiled at her friend. "Oh trust me, when you're a new member of the organization and you get told that 'you have no emotions' or whatever you soon learn that's complete bullshit when you happen to accidentantly make a mess of Zexions stuff- _that_ is true fear." Roxas stated. "Personal experience?" Riku asked, and to his surprise all the former organization members except Ienzo nodded. The prince just looked proud of his own accomplishments. Riku chuckled. "We should probably check around once more and then tell everyone that it's safe to return home, I need to get back to my research, and Sora's mother is most likely freaking out by now." Ienzo stated. 

It didn't take long for the group to check that the streets were clear of Heartless. Once that was done they returned to the safe zone and told everyone to return home and wished them a pleasant evening. But instead of returning home, everyone stood inside the safe zone. Not saying a thing for a few minutes- until Sora spoke up. 

"So what now?" He asked but no one answered. No one knew how to. "Some unknown person knows everything about the past organization members, they have also hacked into Radiant gardens safety system and have caused Tron's programm to go crazy. What are we supposed to do?" Sora asked, but he didn't let anyone speak before he was finished with his rant. "And to top that all off, Ienzo's coronation is in two weeks and there are Heartless attacking the place." He said, finally finishing his rant. Ienzo sighed. "I have a plan, but I'm going to need all of your help to make it happen." He stated, everyone turned to look at him. "First, we need to manually shut down Trons programm, then we need to get the security system under control so that we do not need to personally take down the heartless everytime they attack. And lastly..." Ienzo took a deep breath before finishing his sentence.

"We need to get the other organization members here." 


End file.
